It’s always advisable to assess if a business is feasible, but in this economy, it’s essential to do research and make the best decisions for your business or potential business. When REAP staff work with business owners, it’s often the financial projections that are the most difficult to predict with any accuracy.

The Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP), a program of the Center for Rural Affairs, is well known for producing impressive results. We combine a willingness to try innovative programming with a penchant for applying unique methods, which often achieves extraordinary results. The term “innovative” can be defined in many different ways. For REAP, the three best definitions are “original” or “one-of-a-kind” and “on the cutting edge.”

Edgar’s Japanese Auto Repair re-opened in Lexington, Nebraska, in May of 2002. Prior to 2002, Edgar had the same business for 12 years in the Los Angeles area. The Gutierrez’s decided to move to Nebraska so their children could have a better place to grow up and so they could have more opportunities as small business owners than the metropolitan area offered.

Get ready to submit your application for the Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit Act. The Nebraska Department of Revenue will begin accepting applications for the 2011 tax year on November 1, 2010.

The Center for Rural Affairs’ Rural Enterprise Assistance Program (REAP) recently conducted our biennial 2010 REAP Needs Assessment Survey. It was made available to Nebraska’s businesses and those who serve them, including lenders and resource providers. The self-administered survey was available online, posted to various listservs, and mailed to REAP clients.

Members of the Columbus REAP Roundtable group are sharing experiences and learning from one another. In July, members met at Erstwhile Farm, LLC, in rural Columbus. Participants that evening were treated to a delicious meal comprised of products grown or produced at the farm.